Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) September 2017 Volume 34, Issue 7

www.apb-news.com
NEWS & VIEWS
W O R L D I N B R I E F
Facebook to launch
new video platform
SVoD a hit Down Under
SYDNEY – Australians are flock-
ing to subscription-video-on-
demand (SVoD) services, reaching
3.7 million at end-June 2017, a
year-on-year increase of 30%,
reported Telsyte, a technology
analyst firm. Telsyte also pre-
dicted that SVoD subscriptions in
Australia are on track to overtake
traditional pay-TV subscribers by
June 2018.
VR ushers new era of
immersive content
NEW YORK – 360-degree video,
virtual reality (VR), interactive and
immersive content formats will
generate US$6-billion worth of
revenue by 2020, according to ABI
Research, who also pointed out
how producers, content owners
and distributors are experiment-
ing with new media and creative
tools.
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MANAGEMENT
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| SEPTEMBER 2017 | VOLUME 34 | ISSUE 7
DISTRIBUTION
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34
Critical to ‘air-gap’
network and content
by shawn liew
AMSTERDAM – While many may
strive towards a digital utopia, is
the world also, as an unwanted
consequence, heading towards an
era of cyber insecurity?
The recent global ransomware
attack left many companies para-
lysed, and the recent cyberattack
on HBO is hardly the first time
broadcast and media companies
have been targeted by hackers.
A paradigm shift is occurring
in response to the spate of global
data breaches that are decimating
consumer trust and undermining
commercial brands, said Cameron
Brown (@AnalyticalCyber), who
is a cyber defence adviser and
information security strategist, as
well as a lawyer and digital forensic
investigator.
SAN FRANCISCO – Facebook
has announced Watch, which
will allow users to watch live or
recorded videos around specific
themes and storylines. The social
media platform is also reportedly
ready to bid for video rights from
exclusive rights holder Fox Sports,
for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
7
NEWS & VIEWS
September 2017
The recent cyberattack on HBO highlights the critical need for broadcasters to
be more vigilant in protecting key digital media assets from hackers.
He told APB: “Corporations
and governments who understand
the new status quo are investing
heavily in dedicated governance
structures, integrated security
architecture, identity and access
management, data loss preven-
tion, threat intelligence and de-
ployment of security operations
centres to mitigate vulnerabilities
and bolster resilience.”
Broadcasters, he added, would
be well advised to adopt these
holistic approaches to secure infor-
mational assets and equip in-house
security teams with tools needed
to extend visibility across data
repositories, systems and critical
infrastructure.
And in this instance, size does
not matter, as Brown explained:
“As with all industries, the capacity
of broadcasters to fend off cyber
threats is mixed and varied. It is
not necessarily the case that larger
broadcasters are better equipped
— rather, it boils down to the de-
gree of visibility and sponsorship
that information security has at a
board level.”
8 8
BBC upholds its ‘trusted source of news’ principle
LONDON – The digital age has irrevocably altered
the paradigm from which news is consumed. As
platforms to access news — mainstream or oth-
erwise — continue to emerge, are viewers and
consumers able to effectively separate the signal
from the noise?
Globally, the spread of ‘fake news’ has been an
issue over the past year, Jim Egan, chief exe­cutive,
BBC Global News, told APB. Citing a recent BBC
study, he pointed out that in Asia-Pacific, three
quarters of news consumers are concerned about
fake news and two-thirds struggle to distinguish
real news from fake news.
Egan continued: “In a world in which there
is an ever-thickening ‘information smog’ of false
facts and filter bubbles, the digital age means it
is increasingly likely that people will only see one
side of any story.”
As much of the content in social media feeds is
chosen by algorithms, rather than real life curation
and moderation by a human being, bias is also
likely to set in.
“It’s easy for people to consume a diet of news
8 8
BBC Global
News’ Jim Egan:
“In a world in
which there is an
ever-thickening
‘information
smog’ of false
facts and filter
bubbles, the
digital age means
it is increasingly
likely that people
will only see one
side of any story.”
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